Bible Review, Fall 1985
Special Section
II: Original Biblical Text Reconstructed from Newly Found Fragments
Scrolls provide a fresh understanding of apocalyptic elements in late biblical religion
In the last issue of Bible Review, Professor Cross presented a description, based on his study of the Dead Sea Scrolls, of how the text of the Hebrew Bible developed (“The Text Behind the Text of the Hebrew Bible,” BR 01:02). In this issue, Cross...Read more ›
Features
The Baptism of Jesus
A story modeled on the binding of Isaac
John’s baptism of Jesus appears in all three synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke). Here is how Mark describes it in a mere 53 words in Greek: “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he...Read more ›
“You Shall Not Boil a Kid in Its Mother’s Milk”
An archaeological myth destroyed
One of the oldest prohibitions in the entire Bible is the injunction against boiling a kid in the milk of its mother. It is repeated three times in identical words: “You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.”a From these words, the rabbis extrapolated a...Read more ›
On Rereading the “Kid in Milk” Inscription
Two “lowly” epigraphers speak out
Jacob Milgrom has presented an excellent overall evaluation of the problems posed by the passage in the Ugaritic text (see “You Shall Not Boil a Kid in Its Mother’s Milk”), commonly called “The Birth of the Gracious and Beautiful Gods.” This text has so often been connected...Read more ›